Surface cleaning apparatus

ABSTRACT

A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a body including a rear compartment, a forward compartment and an intermediate compartment arranged between the rear and forward compartments for collecting debris. An elongate rotatable brush arrangement is positioned within and extends across the forward compartment. An electric motor is connected to the rotatable brush arrangement by a belt. A notch or opening in the front wall of the forward compartment facilitates admission of particles into the forward compartment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.10/431,783, filed May 8, 2003. This application also claims priority tothe subject matter of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/564,296, filedApr. 22, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a surface cleaning apparatus, such as for afloor or upholstery.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional surface cleaning apparatus which do not use suction, suchas sweeper type floor cleaning apparatus using rotatable brushes to pickup and collect particles and other debris, typically have a leadingfront face of the body of the sweeper apparatus with a substantiallyplanar lower edge. During use, such a conventional sweeper requires aclearance distance to be maintained between the lower edge of the bodyof the sweeper apparatus and the surface to be cleaned.

If the clearance distance between the lower edge of the sweeperapparatus and the surface to be cleaned is too small, debris willaccumulate in front of the lower edge of the front face of the sweeperapparatus and will be prevented from passing under the lower edge andbeing swept up by the bristles of brushes within the body of theapparatus. At present, to remove a piece of debris larger than theclearance between the lower edge and the surface to be cleaned, it isnecessary either to pick up the debris by hand or to raise the body ofthe sweeper apparatus away from the surface to be cleaned and replace itover the larger debris. On the other hand, if the clearance distancebetween the lower edge of the sweeper apparatus and the surface to becleaned is too great, turbulence caused by the rotation of the bristlescan cause debris to be pushed along in front of the sweeper apparatus asthe sweeper apparatus is pushed forward. As the clearance between thelower edge of the body of the sweeper and the surface to be cleaned isincreased, the efficiency of the sweeper apparatus in picking up andcollecting debris is reduced.

What is needed is a surface cleaning apparatus and cleaning method whichis adapted to be able to efficiently pick up debris of varying sizeswithout the need to remove the surface cleaning apparatus from thesurface to be cleaned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surfacecleaning apparatus which overcomes, or at least ameliorates, at leastsome of the problems of known apparatus.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a surface cleaning apparatuscomprising a body having a forward compartment and a rear compartment,an elongate rotatable brush extending across the forward compartment,and a belt connecting an electric motor to the rotatable brush. The bodyincludes a front face having a non-planar lower edge such that thedistance between the lower edge and a plane of a surface to be cleanedis not uniform. The non-planar lower edge may be provided as a recess ornotch in the front face. In an embodiment, the lower edge of the frontface includes at least one recess or notch.

In another embodiment, the front wall of the surface cleaning apparatushas a lip of increased thickness relative to the thickness of the restof the front wall. The lip is also at a higher elevation than the bottomsurface of the body.

In still other embodiments, the surface cleaning apparatus includes anintermediate compartment defined by walls between the forward andintermediate compartment, between the rear and intermediate compartment,and the side walls of the body. The wall between the forward andintermediate compartment can be inclined rearwardly. The wall betweenthe rear and intermediate compartments can serve to seal the rearcompartment from the intermediate compartment. The intermediatecompartment can be in the form of a removable tray, or the intermediatecompartment can be emptied by removing a sidewall.

In an embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus can also include anauxiliary brush. The auxiliary brush can extend from the forwardcompartment and can be connected to the same motor that drives theelongate brush. The auxiliary brush can also be inclined at an anglerelative to the plane of the body of the surface cleaning apparatus.

In yet other embodiments, the front portion of the surface cleaningapparatus can be chamfered to increase the extent to which the bristlesof the elongate brush protrude from the body. Additionally, a front partof the forward compartment can be removable to increase the extent thatthe bristles protrude from the surface cleaning apparatus.

The invention also provides a method for cleaning a surface, such as asurface with large particles of dust or dirt. In an embodiment, asurface cleaning apparatus having a body, one or more compartments, anda front wall is provided, the front wall having a bottom surface with alip as well as a notch or opening in the bottom surface. The body isthen tilted forward so that the bottom surface lip contacts a surface tobe cleaned. One or more particles on the surface to be cleaned are thenadmitted into the surface cleaning apparatus through the recess ornotch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show moreclearly how it may be carried into effect reference will now be made, byway of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a surface cleaning apparatusaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the surfacecleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an perspective view of a front face of the surface cleaningapparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIGS.1 to 3 with an alternative handle;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a surface cleaningapparatus according to the present invention with a front face removedfor clarity;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 5, with the frontface of the housing thereof removed;

FIG. 7 is an underside view of the apparatus of FIG. 5 with the frontface removed for clarity;

FIG. 8 is perspective view of another embodiment of a surface cleaningapparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is an underside view of the apparatus of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment corresponding to the surface cleaning apparatus shownin FIGS. 1 to 3, the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a body 1,suitably moulded of plastics material, and having at least twocompartments and preferably at least three compartments.

A rear compartment 3 houses an electric motor 5 and a rechargeablebattery pack 7. The battery pack 7 may be connected to a mains powersupply (not shown) for recharging the battery pack. The battery pack mayeither be connected to the mains supply whenever the apparatus is not inuse or at suitable times when the battery pack has become depleted.Switch means (not shown) is provided to permit a user to energise andde-energise the motor 5 as desired. As an alternative to a rechargeablebattery pack, the apparatus could employ disposable batteries or bemains powered, such as being adapted to operate by plugging intohousehold electric current.

A forward compartment 9 houses an elongate rotatable brush arrangement11. The brush arrangement 11 is rotated in a direction denoted by arrow19, such that an upper surface of the brush arrangement is rotated awayfrom the rear compartment 3. For convenience a forward wall 201 of theforward compartment 9 is arcuate and extends around the periphery of thebrush arrangement 11. The bottom of the forward compartment is open at13 to allow the bristles of the brush arrangement to contact a floor,carpet or the like over which the surface cleaning apparatus is to bemoved.

In an embodiment, the forward wall 201 of the forward compartment isalso the front wall 201 of the surface cleaning apparatus. The loweredge 203 of the front wall 201 is non-planar, as shown in FIG. 3. Thelower edge 203 incorporates a recess 205 with a width in a range fromabout 20 mm to about 150 mm, preferably about 60 mm. The depth of therecess, that is the distance between the top 207 of the recess 205 andthe lowest portion 209 of the lower edge 203 is nominally about 10 mmbut may, for example, be in the range from about 4 mm to about 20 mm.The recess allows debris, such as dust, dirt and the like, too large topass under the lowest portion 209 of the lower edge 203 to pass into theforward compartment and be picked up by means of the brush arrangement11. Turbulence caused by the rotation of the brush assembly, which couldcause relatively small debris to be pushed along in front of the surfacecleaning apparatus, is minimized as the majority of the lower edge ismaintained in sufficiently close proximity to the surface to be cleaned.The distance between the surface to be cleaned and the lowest portion209 of the lower edge 203 is nominally about 10 mm but may, for example,be in the range from about 4 mm to about 20 mm.

In another embodiment, the bottom surface of the front wall is elevatedrelative to the bottom surface of the body to create space for admittingparticles into the forward compartment during the operation of thesurface cleaning apparatus. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG.8, bottom surface 203 of the front wall 201 is higher in elevation thanthe bottom of body 1. Front wall 201 also includes a notch or opening205. The notch or opening 205 increases the distance between the bottomsurface 203 of the front wall and the surface being cleaned in theregion of the notch. This allows larger particles be admitted throughthe notch and into the compartments of the surface cleaning apparatus.The notch 205 can be located anywhere on the front wall. Conveniently,the notch or opening can be located in the center of the front wall, asthis allows a user to easily align the notch with a particle to beswept. Bottom surface 203 of front wall 201 further comprises a lip 92which has an increased thickness relative to the front wall 201. If thesurface cleaning apparatus is tipped forward so that the bottom surfaceof the front wall comes into contact with a surface being cleaned, lip92 reduces the likelihood that the bottom surface of the front wall will“dig in” to the surface. Instead, the thicker lip will more evenlydistribute weight, making it easier to move the surface cleaningapparatus while being tipped forward.

The height of the notch or opening should be sufficient to allowparticles to be taken into the intermediate compartment while the bodyis being tipped forward. In an embodiment, the height of the openingrelative to the bottom surface of the front wall is the same as thedistance from the bottom surface of the front wall to the bottom of thesurface cleaning apparatus body. For example, if the bottom surface ofthe front wall is higher in elevation than the surface to be swept by 1cm (when the body is not tipped forward), the elevation of the bottomsurface in the notch relative to the bottom surface of the rest of thefront wall would also be 1 cm. This would lead to a total elevation forthe bottom surface of the opening of 2 cm relative to a surface to becleaned.

The width of the notch or opening can be of any convenient size, as longas the width is small enough to prevent undue stress on the front wallwhen the body is tipped forward to bring the bristles into closercontact with a surface. Thus, the notch or opening can have variouswidths, as the width of the front wall could range from as small as 4inches to as large as 20 inches. Other common widths for the front wallinclude 8 inches, 10 inches, 11.5 inches, 13 inches, 14 inches, and 15inches. In an embodiment, the width of the opening is at least 10% ofthe width of the front wall and preferably at least 15%. In anembodiment, the width of the opening is 33% or less of the width of thefront wall and preferably 25% or less. FIGS. 3, 8, and 9 show examplesof a notch or opening 205 in a front wall 201.

The rear of the forward compartment is a rearwardly inclined wall 15which allows debris to be propelled up the wall due to rotation of thebrush arrangement 11 and to pass over the wall into an intermediatecompartment 17 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. Thewall 15 extends upwardly to about the same height as the top of thebrush arrangement 11 and is angled rearwardly (i.e. away from theforward compartment) at an angle of about 18 degrees. The precise angleis not important, but the inclination facilitates the passage of thedebris up and over the wall and at the same time facilitates retentionof the debris within the intermediate compartment 17. The brusharrangement extends substantially the entire width of the forwardcompartment and is provided with two helically arranged rows ofbristles. The two rows are diametrically opposed and each row is in theform of a pair of separate helices which twist in opposite directionsand meet substantially midway between the ends of the brush arrangement.

The intermediate compartment 17 is positioned between the wall 15 and awall 21 which encloses the electrical components 5, 7 in the rearcompartment 3, the wall 21 protecting the components in the rearcompartment from the ingress of debris. The intermediate compartment 17also has a lower wall, an upper wall and side walls formed by the outerwall of the body 1. Debris therefore accumulates within the intermediatecompartment 17. The intermediate compartment is provided with aremovable closure to facilitate the removal of debris. For example, oneof the walls, such as a side wall, the upper wall or the lower wall, canbe removed in order that the debris can be emptied from the intermediatecompartment, the removed wall being replaced once the compartment hasbeen emptied. The removable wall may comprise a clear section to enablea user to determine when the intermediate compartment requires emptying.Ideally, side wall 23 is removable for emptying purposes. The wall 15provides the advantage that debris does not readily escape from theintermediate compartment 17 and, even if the body of the surfacecleaning apparatus is inclined such that the forward compartment isbelow the intermediate compartment, the debris does not escape from theintermediate compartment. Alternatively, the intermediate compartmentcan comprise a removable tray. In such an embodiment, the side wall 23can form a part of the removable tray.

In an embodiment, the brush arrangement 11 is rotated by the motor 5 byway of toothed rollers 25, 27 attached to the motor and to the brush,respectively, and by way of a toothed belt 29, for example ofelastomeric material, extending around the two rollers. The toothed belt29 is enclosed within a tunnel 31 where it passes through theintermediate compartment 17 in order to prevent the ingress of debrisinto the rear compartment 3. The tunnel 31 may pass through theintermediate compartment 17 at any convenient point. However,particularly in the event side wall 23 is removable for emptyingpurposes, the tunnel may be arranged at that side of the intermediatecompartment 17 remote from the side wall 23.

In an embodiment, a handle 33 is attached to the body 1 in the region ofthe rear compartment 3, the body being formed with a recess 35 beneaththe handle to allow the handle to be gripped while maintaining a lowprofile for the surface cleaning apparatus. The handle 33 may be in twoparts, a first part 37 which is secured to the body 1 and a second part39 which can be removed from the first part and replaced by a longerhandle part 41 as shown in FIG. 4. The longer handle part 41 is providedwith swivel means 43 to allow the handle part 41 to rotate about theaxis thereof relative to the body 1 and with pivot means 45 to allow thehandle part to pivot about an axis transverse to the axial direction ofthe handle part to enable the surface cleaning apparatus to be steeredby the user. As an alternative to interchangeable handles, the handlepart 41 may be removably engageable with the handle part 33. In such acase, the handle part 33 is arranged such that the swivel means 43functions only in certain positions of the handle part 33 in order thatmovement can be inhibited when the handle part 33 is used alone.

In some embodiments, the bristles of the brush arrangement 11 can extendoutwardly from the aperture in the lower face of the forward compartment9, as shown for example in FIG. 4. In order to remove stubborn debrisand/or to revitalise carpet, the lower edge of the front wall of theforward compartment may be chamfered, or the front wall may be movable(including removable), to increase the exposure of the bristles in thisregion. In this way, the forward part of the apparatus may be inclinedrelative to the surface to be cleaned, thereby increasing contactbetween the bristles and a surface to be cleaned and, on some surfaces,increasing the depth to which the bristles penetrate and clean thesurface.

FIG. 8 shows the profile of a forward compartment according to anotherembodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, bottom surface 203 ofthe front wall 201 of the forward compartment is chamfered and at ahigher elevation relative to the surface being swept than the bottomsurface of the body. The higher elevation of bottom surface 203 isachieved by having the side wall of the forward compartment rise at anangle away from the surface to swept. In an embodiment, this angle is atleast 5 degrees and preferably at least 10 degrees. In an embodiment,this angle is 20 degrees or less, preferably 15 degrees or less.Additionally, the bottom surface 203 of the faceplate is also angledaway from the surface to be cleaned. The angle of the bottom surfacerelative to the surface to be cleaned can be any convenient angle, suchas the same angle as the rise angle of the sidewall of the forwardcompartment relative to the surface being swept. In an embodiment, thisangle is at least 5 degrees and preferably at least 10 degrees. In anembodiment, this angle is 20 degrees or less, preferably 15 degrees orless. In another embodiment, the front wall 201 may be movable(including removable) to increase the exposure of bristles to a surfaceto be cleaned.

An auxiliary rotary brush 11 may also be provided at the side of thebrush arrangement 11 which incorporates the roller 27 and the belt 29.Such an auxiliary brush is described, for example, in GB-A-1 547 286.Such an auxiliary brush is able to sweep debris into the path of thebrush arrangement 11 which might otherwise be missed due to the lack ofbristles in the region of the roller 27. The auxiliary brush may bedriven by any suitable means, such as gearing from the brush arrangement11 or by friction with the surface to be swept, and is suspended fromand extends outwardly beyond the body 1. The auxiliary brush maycomprise a cylindrical body rotatable about an axis which is inclined tothe vertical by about 10 degrees so as to extend outwardly beyond thebody 1. Bristles protrude radially outwardly from the periphery of thecylindrical body, but need not be perpendicular to the axis of rotationand may preferably be at an angle of about 80 degrees to the axis ofrotation so as to form a cone which increases in cross-section withincreasing distance from the body 1.

In another embodiment, the front wall 201 of the forward compartment 9may be removed to expose the bristles at the front of the apparatus.This effectively increases the aperture in the forward compartment whichwould seriously impair the effectiveness of a suction cleaner, but inthe present invention can effectively be used to assist in the sweepingof stairs, cleaning upholstery and carpets in vehicles and the likeoperations where a greater exposed area of bristles can be useful. As analternative to removing the front wall of the compartment 9, the frontwall may be movable, for example pivotable or slidable, relative to theremainder of the compartment in order to expose the bristles.

Although not shown, the rear compartment 3 may be provided withground-engaging wheels in order to assist mobility of the surfacecleaning apparatus. The ground-engaging wheels may, for example, beformed externally in the side regions of the rear compartment 3 or maybe provided within recesses formed at least partly beneath the rearcompartment 3.

Although the illustrated embodiments of the present invention areintended primarily for domestic use, the surface cleaning apparatus canalso be used outdoors or in workshops if desired. However, it may bepreferable to provide a more rugged design specifically adapted for suchuse.

In use of the surface cleaning apparatus according to variousembodiments of the invention, the apparatus is placed upon a surface tobe swept, such as a carpet, and the switch is operated to energise themotor. This rotates the brush arrangement to allow intake (sweeping) ofdebris from the surface and then propels the debris up and over aninclined wall and into an intermediate compartment where it istemporarily stored. As the surface cleaning apparatus is moved over thesurface with the brush arrangement rotating, any further debris issimilarly swept from the surface and propelled up and over the inclinedwall and into the intermediate compartment. If there is a piece ofrelatively larger debris, the surface cleaning apparatus can be steeredsuch that the recess in the front wall of the apparatus is passed overthe larger debris and the debris is picked up by the rotating brusharrangement.

In another embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus can be tiltedforward to bring the bristles into closer contact with the floor. Forexample, the apparatus could be tilted forward on a soft carpet surfacein order to bring the rotating brush into greater contact with thesurface being swept. In this situation, the lip of the bottom surface ofthe front wall can come into contact with the surface being swept,reducing the clearance between the bottom surface of the front wall andthe surface being swept. This increases the contact between the brushand the surface being swept. Additionally, because of the notch in thefront wall, the risk that particles may be pushed out of the way ratherthan being collected by the surface cleaning apparatus is greatlyreduced. The notch or opening increases the distance between the bottomsurface of the front wall and the surface being cleaned in the region ofthe notch. When the body is tilted forward, the notch facilitates intakeof debris. By admitting a piece of debris through the notch, the pieceof debris can be readily swept into the intermediate compartment. Thenotch can be located anywhere on the front wall. Conveniently, the notchor opening can be located in the center of the front wall, as thisallows a user to easily align the notch with a particle to be swept.

The surface cleaning apparatus is extremely portable and can be employedwherever it may be required. For example, it can be used to sweep stairswithout the need for electrical leads or suction hoses. The shape of theapparatus with the rounded shape of the rear compartment as illustratedfacilitates movement of the apparatus over stairs, but ground engagingwheels may be provided to further facilitate such sweeping operations.

When the intermediate compartment is to be emptied, one wall of thecompartment is removed as explained above and the debris can readily bedischarged. The removable wall is then replaced. Alternatively, theintermediate compartment may be in the form of a tray which can beremoved and emptied so as to discharge debris. The tray may comprise asection which is clear to enable a user to determine when theintermediate compartment requires emptying.

When the surface cleaning apparatus is not in use it can be stored, forexample either in a cupboard or the like or plugged into a mains supplyin order to recharge the battery 7.

In various embodiments, the surface cleaning apparatus according to theinvention incorporates an electrically driven brush arrangement. Thebrush arrangement is not driven by frictional forces between the surfacecleaning apparatus and the surface over which it is to be moved. Thus,efficiency of the apparatus is not dependent on the nature of thefrictional contact. Further, the apparatus does not rely on suctionmeans to draw the debris into a storage chamber. Thus, efficiency of theapparatus is not dependent on the effectiveness of suction means and thesubstantial power drain of suction means on the rechargeable battery isavoided. In an alternative embodiment, however, the surface cleaningapparatus of this invention can be incorporated into a vacuum cleaner.

The provision of the motor at the rear of the apparatus eliminates theneed for increased height should the motor be positioned over thecompartment for collecting dust and the like and also provides effectivefull width cleaning which would not be possible if the motor was to bepositioned within the compartment for collecting debris. In anotherembodiment, the drive means for the brush arrangement passes at leastpartly through the debris compartment.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 depict another embodiment of a surface cleaningapparatus according to the invention. Apparatus 102 for cleaning asurface 104 comprises a housing 106, suitably of moulded plasticsmaterial, and effectively having three compartments. A rear compartment108 houses an electric motor 110 and a rechargeable battery pack 112.The battery pack 112 may be connected to a mains power supply (notshown) for recharging the battery pack. The battery pack may either beconnected to the mains supply whenever the apparatus is not in use or atsuitable times when the battery pack has become depleted. Switch means113 is provided to permit a user to energise and de-energise the motor110 as desired. As an alternative to a rechargeable battery pack, theapparatus could employ disposable batteries or be mains powered.

A forward compartment 114 houses a transversely-arranged elongaterotatable brush arrangement 116, with bristles 118. Such elongaterotatable brush arrangement 116 is sometimes known as a brush bar. Thebottom of the forward compartment 114 is open at 120 to allow thebristles 118 of the elongate brush arrangement 116 to contact a floor,carpet or the like over which the apparatus is to be propelled. The rearof the forward compartment is a rearwardly inclined wall 122 whichallows debris to be propelled up the wall due to rotation of the brusharrangement 116 and to pass over the wall into an intermediatecompartment 124. The front of the forward compartment is provided with afront wall (not shown) which comprises the front face of body of theapparatus and which may be removable if desired. Debris accumulating inthe intermediate compartment 124 can be removed by opening a cover 126.The wall 122 extends upwardly to about the same height as the top of theelongate brush arrangement 116 and may be angled rearwardly (i.e. awayfrom the forward compartment) such as at an angle of about 18 degrees.The precise angle is not important, but the inclination facilitates thepassage of the debris up and over the wall 122 and at the same timefacilitates retention of the debris within the intermediate compartment124.

The elongate brush arrangement 116 is rotated by the motor 110 by way oftoothed rollers 128, 130 attached to the motor and to the brusharrangement, respectively, and by way of a toothed belt 131, for exampleof elastomeric material, extending around the two rollers. The toothedbelt 131 is enclosed within a tunnel 132 where it passes through oralongside the intermediate compartment 124 in order to prevent theingress of debris into the rear compartment 108.

An auxiliary brush means 134 is provided extending in an additionalhousing 170 outwardly from the apparatus housing 106 at the right handside of the elongate rotatable brush arrangement 116 as viewed fromabove and behind the apparatus 102. The auxiliary brush means 134 is ofsubstantially circular form and is supported for rotation about an axis136, which may be vertical or inclined to vertical, such as at an angleof about 10 degrees to vertical. The auxiliary brush means 134 has abody 138 provided with radial bristles 140 which are inclined at anacute angle to the axis of rotation 136 so as to effectively form aconical arrangement increasing in cross-section with increasing distancefrom the body 138.

The auxiliary brush means 134 is rotatably driven from the rotatingelongate brush arrangement 116 by a gear wheel 142 at the end of theelongate brush arrangement 116 which meshes with a further gear wheel144 on the body 138 of the auxiliary brush means 134. The auxiliarybrush means 134 is caused to be rotated in an anti-clockwise directiondenoted by arrow 146, as viewed from above and behind the apparatus 102.During such rotation of the auxiliary brush means 134, a peripheralregion thereof rotates from a sideways-directed position 148 (FIG. 7)outside the housing 106 to an opposed sideways-directed position 150covered by the housing 106, through a forwardly-directed position 152.

The apparatus 102 is provided with a handle 154 by means of which it canbe propelled at least in a forwards direction 156. Wheels 158 and 160are provided to enable or assist manual propulsion of the apparatusacross the surface 104 to be swept, such as a floor, stairway orupholstery. The handle 154 could be longer, or be of a different shapeor form, as required.

The rotating auxiliary brush means 134 does not rely on contact with thesurface 104 for its rotation and therefore provides more efficientsweeping of edge regions of the surface 104 regardless of the nature ofthe surface 104. Furthermore, the direction of rotation 146 of theauxiliary brush means 134 ensures that debris is swept positively by theauxiliary brush arrangement 134 into a position ahead of the rotatingelongate rotating brush assembly 116, ready to be picked up by theelongate brush arrangement 116.

If desired, instead of or in addition to the auxiliary brush means 134provided extending outwardly from the right hand side of the housing106, a similar auxiliary brush means (not shown) could likewise beprovided extending in an additional housing outwardly from the left handside of the housing 106 and driven from the opposite end of the elongatebrush arrangement 116. Such additional or alternative auxiliary brushmeans differs from the auxiliary brush means 134 only in that it iscaused to rotate in a clockwise, rather than anti-clockwise, directionas viewed from above and behind the apparatus 102.

The additional housing 170 and the front wall 201 of the surfacecleaning apparatus may be attached to the main housing 106 by means ofclips (not shown). Therefore the additional housing 170 and the frontwall 201 can be detached from the main housing 106 of the apparatuswithout the need for tools, to facilitate maintenance and/or repair ofthe elongate brush arrangement 116 and the auxiliary brush means 134.

Instead of the apparatus 102 being provided with a battery or mainspowered electric motor 110 to drive the elongate brush arrangement 116and hence the auxiliary brush means 134, a known form of friction drivemeans (not shown), resulting from propulsion of the apparatus 102 alongthe surface 104, may be utilised to effect rotation of the elongatebrush arrangement 116 and hence rotation of the auxiliary brush means134.

Although the front wall of the surface cleaning apparatus has beendescribed as comprising a single recess such that the lower edge of thewall is non-planar it should be understood that the wall can comprise aplurality of recesses, or the lower edge can have an undulating surfacesuch that the distance between the lower edge and the surface beingcleaned can vary depending on the undulations.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that manymodifications may be made to the present invention without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention. The embodimentsdescribed herein are meant to be illustrative only and should not betaken as limiting the invention, which is defined by the followingclaims.

1. A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising: a) a body having a forwardcompartment and rear compartment; b) an elongate rotatable brushextending across the forward compartment; and c) a belt connecting anelectric motor and the rotatable brush; wherein said forward compartmentcomprises a front wall having a notch for admitting larger particlesinto said forward compartment.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidfront wall of said forward compartment has a thickness and furthercomprises a bottom surface at a higher elevation than a bottom surfaceof the body, and wherein the bottom surface of said front wall has a lipof increased thickness relative to said thickness of said front wall. 3.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bottom surface of said front wallis inclined at an angle relative to the plane of the body.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary brush extendingfrom the forward compartment and driven by the electric motor.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary brush and the elongaterotatable brush are connected by a gear.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein an intermediate compartment is defined by a wall between theforward compartment and the intermediate compartment, a wall between theintermediate compartment and the rear compartment, and side walls. 7.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the wall between the forward andintermediate compartments is inclined rearwardly.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the wall between the forward and intermediatecompartments has an angle of inclination of from 15 to 20 degrees. 9.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the wall between the intermediate andrear compartments seals the rear compartment from the intermediatecompartment.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the intermediatecompartment comprises a removable tray.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein a front part of the forward compartment is movable to exposebristles on the elongate rotatable brush at the front part of theforward compartment.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a lower frontregion of the body is chamfered to increase the extent to which thebristles protrude from the body in the region of the chamfer.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is located in the rearcompartment.
 14. A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising: a) a bodyhaving a forward compartment and rear compartment; b) an elongaterotatable brush extending across the forward compartment; and c) a beltconnecting an electric motor and the rotatable brush; said forwardcompartment comprising a front wall having a thickness and having abottom surface at a higher elevation than a bottom surface of said body,wherein the bottom surface of said front wall has a lip of increasedthickness relative to said thickness of said front wall.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein said bottom surface is inclined at anangle relative to the plane of the body.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein said front wall of said forward compartment further comprises anotch for admitting larger particles into said forward compartment. 17.The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an auxiliary brushextending from the forward compartment and driven by the electric motor.18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the auxiliary brush and theelongate rotatable brush are connected by a gear.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 14, further comprising an intermediate compartment defined by awall between the forward compartment and the intermediate compartment, awall between the intermediate compartment and the rear compartment, andside walls.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the wall between theforward and intermediate compartments is inclined rearwardly.
 21. Theapparatus of claim 20, wherein the wall between the forward andintermediate compartments has an angle of inclination of from 15 to 20degrees.
 22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the wall between theintermediate and rear compartments seals the rear compartment from theintermediate compartment.
 23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein theintermediate compartment comprises a removable tray
 24. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the lower front region of the body is chamfered toincrease the extent to which the bristles protrude from the body in theregion of the chamfer.
 25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a frontpart of the forward compartment is movable to expose bristles on theelongate rotatable brush at the front part of the forward compartment.26. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the electric motor is located inthe rear compartment.
 27. A method for cleaning a surface, comprising:providing a surface cleaning apparatus comprising a body, one or morecompartments in said body, and a front wall, said front wall comprisinga bottom surface lip at a higher elevation than a bottom surface of thebody and a notched region in the center of the front wall, the bottomsurface lip in the notched region being at a higher elevation than thebottom surface lip in the adjacent portions of the faceplate; tiltingsaid body forward so that at least a portion of the bottom surface lipcontacts the surface to be cleaned; and admitting one or more particlesinto a compartment in said body through said notched region.
 28. Themethod of claim 27, wherein said bottom surface lip has an increasedthickness relative to a thickness of said front wall.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, wherein said bottom surface lip is inclined at an anglerelative to the plane of the body.
 30. The method of claim 27, whereinthe portion of the bottom surface lip contacting the surface to becleaned is kept in contact with the surface to be cleaned whileadmitting said one or more particles.
 31. The method of claim 27,wherein particles admitted through said notched region are admitted intoa forward compartment.
 32. The method of claim 27, wherein particlesadmitted through said notched region are collected in an intermediatecompartment.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the apparatus comprisesa motor in a rear compartment, and wherein a wall between theintermediate and rear compartments seals the rear compartment from theintermediate compartment.
 34. The method of claim 27, wherein a lowerfront region of the body including the front wall is chamfered toincrease the extent to which the bristles protrude from the body in theregion of the chamfer.
 35. A method for cleaning a surface, comprising:providing a surface cleaning apparatus comprising a body, a forwardcompartment and a rear compartment, and a front wall, said front wallcomprising a bottom surface lip and a notched region in the center ofthe front wall; tilting said body forward so that at least a portion ofthe bottom surface lip contacts the surface to be cleaned; and admittingone or more particles into a compartment in said body through saidnotched region.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein said bottom surfacelip is at a higher elevation than a bottom surface of the body.
 37. Themethod of claim 35, wherein the bottom surface lip has an increasedthickness relative to a thickness of said front wall.
 38. The method ofclaim 35, wherein the bottom surface lip is inclined at an anglerelative to the plane of the body.
 39. The method of claim 35, whereinthe portion of the bottom surface lip contacting the surface to becleaned is kept in contact with the surface to be cleaned whileadmitting said one or more particles.
 40. The method of claim 35,wherein the surface cleaning apparatus further comprises an intermediatecompartment.
 41. The method of claim 40, wherein particles admittedthrough said notched region are collected in an intermediatecompartment.
 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the apparatus comprisesa motor in a rear compartment, and wherein a wall between theintermediate and rear compartments seals the rear compartment from theintermediate compartment.
 43. The method of claim 35, wherein the bottomsurface lip in the notched region is at a higher elevation than thebottom surface lip in the adjacent portions of the faceplate.
 44. Themethod of claim 35, wherein a lower front region of the body includingthe front wall is chamfered to increase the extent to which the bristlesprotrude from the body in the region of the chamfer.